How do you beat the combat rooms?

[JM15-x]

The combat rooms are crazy, I tried the first one and could barely scrape 1 star, please help

[Copanele]

Make sure you upgraded Batman fully from the main game first. Always see with the corner of your eyes how many goons you have left.

Start with a batclaw grab. Punch a goon, counter the second, vault over them and start freeflow punching them. When you have your combo built up, use either the Grab finisher or the Instant disable finisher (the ones that require you to press 2 buttons in order to instantly take a goon out). Try your best to end the final goon with a ground takedown (R2 + triangle or something)

The idea of the Combat rooms is to go from enemy to enemy without getting hit. In your first map you also need to do it without missing the combo. It takes a bit of practice but you will get used to it.

[Wagszilla]

Get gud.

 

In all seriousness, it’s all about combos and combo finishers. You need a high combo for your base multiplier. Then to get the most out of that, you need to finish strong with a combo finisher.

 

Here’s the magic formula:

 

1. Build combo: Square to attack, X to volley over enemies. Repeat.

2. Finish with R2+Tri if only 1 enemy remains. This will give you a COMBOx100 bonus so if you have a 25 hit combo, 25x100=2,500.

3. Tri + Cir to insta-kill knife and stun baton enemies.

 

If you just do step #1 above, you should have it down in no time. 
 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Wagszilla

[Salfordladd]

Wagszilla has it right - while every room has its quirks, high scores are generally about building up a combo and maintaining it, and mixing in high-point-value moves like ground takedowns and combat finishers especially when you get that multiplier into the 20s or higher. You also get bonuses for various things at the end of the round which can be real difference-makers if you know how to capitalize on them.

 

First off is maintaining a combo. Your combo goes up each time you perform a damage-dealing move (any move Batman can do aside from dodging and cape-stunning - those moves maintain your combo, but won't increase the number). Each move Batman makes has a relatively low score value--a single strike with square, for instance, is worth ten points--but these moves get multiplied by the number of your combo as you do them--so the square strike that's worth 10 points at the start is worth 100 points when you have an x10 combo, and, as Wagszilla has said, the ground takedown that's worth 100 points on its own is worth 2000 points when you have an x20 combo going.

 

The flip side of this point: combo fail states. They are are easy to grasp but also easy to fall into. The ways your combo can fail:

1. Mashing square. Once you get a combo going, you can only press square to strike after you've landed your previous strike; mashing will result in your combo failing out, which is probably the first habit you have to break if you want to build up combos.

2. Taking damage. Probably obvious. 

3. Taking more than one second to perform an action after your previous action is complete. This seems like a small window, and it is, but it's also just enough time to get your bearings and improvise a bit on the fly, which is the magic of the Arkham combat system. You get a feel for it with practice.

4. Any move you perform failing to hit a target. For instance, if you try to counter with triangle but there's no one attacking you, or if you press square in a direction with no enemies and don't hit anyone.

5. Trying to strike a knife enemy without first cape-stunning him (or trying to strike a stun-baton enemy without first dodging over to get behind him, but that causes damage, so see #2). 

6. Performing two dodges (pressing X twice) in a row - UNLESS you're dodging over an enemy.

 

This last is a very, very important distinction. You've likely noticed that when you hit X twice away from enemies, Batman dives along the ground, but when you press X twice toward an enemy, he does a sort of cartwheel thing over them. You can dodge along the ground once without breaking your combo, but your move after that has to be another one of Batman's combat moves - if you dodge along the ground a second time, the combo will fail. However, you can cartwheel over enemies indefinitely and never break your combo. This comes in handy when you're trying to get out of a bad situation, or when you need a few seconds to get your bearings - just keep cartwheeling over enemies and your combo will never break while you plan your next move. 

 

When it comes to score, you'll notice that as you get higher and higher in your combo, enemies will start hitting the ground with a single strike, as long as you don't   hit a combo fail state. With some practice, it's relatively simple to clear most rooms with a mix of strikes (square), counters (triangle), dodges (double X), and instant takedowns (circle + triangle) when your combo number turns yellow indicating that an unblockable move is available. For most challenges, if you can just string together those moves without breaking your combo at any point for all four rounds, the points you get from doing that will likely put you over the top for three bats, or quite close to doing so. However, there are lots of curveballs the challenges start throwing at you. The Sewer Bat challenges mix in throwable items the enemies can grab and use to hit you from a distance, as well as guns; the Shock and Awe challenges add in a timer element; and the Rumble in the Jungle challenges give you lots of throwables plus Titan enemies to deal with. For this reason, it's not always possible to keep your combo going every round for the entire challenge. This is where the bonuses come in, giving you chances to pad your score that allow you to take damage a couple times or break your combo and still get the score you need to three-bat the challenge. You get bonuses at the end of each round for:

 

- Not taking any damage in the round. This is good for 500 points per round, and an extra 5000 points at the end if you manage to do all four rounds without taking damage.

- Taking out all enemies in a round in a single unbroken combo. This is worth 1000 bonus points per round if you can pull it off.

- Variation bonus - this is where things get interesting. You get a bonus at the end of each round for how many of Batman's moves you can string together in a single combo (they have to be in one combo - you can't just use each move at random in the round taking damage between and get the full variation bonus).  Using 5 of Batman's moves in one combo will net you 500 points at the end, but if you can manage to work in 6, 7, 8, or even all 9 moves--which is theoretically possible with as few as four enemies--you can get some big bonuses. If you can get an x7 variation bonus in all four rounds, for instance, that's 8000 points right there. If you can manage to perform a combo with all 9 of Batman's moves in each round, that's 20,000 bonus points - more than halfway to the total you need for most challenges, and that doesn't even count any of the points you are actually earning during the fighting. 

 

For this reason, I have worked on trying to get automatic at achieving at least an x7 variation bonus every round for the high-level challenges. If I can do that, and keep my combo going for most of the rounds, that's usually more than enough to three-bat the challenges, even if you break your combo a couple times or take damage in a round or two. In challenges like Sewer Bat Extreme, I've gone into the fourth round at well over 40,000 points, meaning I could just take that last round to forget about variation and just string together strike/counter/cartwheel/takedown to get over the three-bat threshold. It's this way for most challenges, if you can get good at mixing it up. 

 

Some additional tips and tricks:

- I like to start every round in nearly every challenge with a Bat Claw (double tap R2). This knocks down three enemies (fully upgraded) and also gets a gadget move out of the way early for variation. The Bat Claw is also really handy for disarming an enemy who manages to get a gun if you're not close enough to him to punch him, and is a solid mid-combo move if you have a bunch of guys standing and just want to put some of them on the floor.

- One of the harder moves to work in is the ground takedown, since it takes a while, can't be cancelled, and leaves you vulnerable while you're performing it (no coincidence it's the highest-value move). It's best to work these in toward the end of rounds, as Wagszilla suggested, not only because they're worth big points with a big combo multiplier, but also because there are fewer enemies on the field to worry about coming up and smacking you while you're trying to finish. If I'm trying to work in a ground takedown early to get the variation bonus, one trick is to perform a throw move (X + square), and turn so you're throwing the enemy away from all the other enemies. Then, immediately go into a ground takedown (R2 + triangle) - Batman will fly at the guy he just threw to take him down, which is likely far enough away from the pack that they won't be able to get to you before you're done.

- Unless you get really good with the Batarang, or really need that x9 variation bonus, I wouldn't mess with it. It's super fiddly - I often fail out because I try to throw it too early or too late, and it's hard to tell who it's going to hit. It also can't be used to start a combo, like the Bat Claw can, for whatever reason - if you throw it as an opening move, it won't start your combo up to x1, and it won't count for variation either. So yeah, I'm usually happy to stay away from it entirely, get those x7 or x8 variations and just focus on the more reliable moves. (If you get good with it though, it's a great way to set up a ground takedown, since the enemy you hit with it will stay down for a while.)

- For the harder challenges, it can often be worth it to try to score in the 9000-15,000 point range (depending on the challenge) in the opening round. I suggest this because it's easy to restart at that point if you have a bad first round as opposed to trying to push through with a bad round 1 and try to make it all up later; conversely, it's such a nice cushion to be able to take high first- and second-round scores into the later rounds, where there are more points to be scored (more enemies), but the enemies are also a bit more deadly. A fair few of my first three-bat runs were ones in which I'd pretty much crossed the top point threshold by the end of round 3, and so was just trying to stay alive and take guys out for round 4, which is a nice position to be in.

- All bets are off for Shock and Awe Extreme, since it's timed. This one is as much about beating the timer as it is about points (though it's still about points). Look up some videos for specific strategies when you're going for that one.

 

There's probably more to say, but this is plenty already. If you want something even more in-depth, including some strategies for each individual challenge, there's a fantastic written combat guide over on GameFAQs: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xbox360/952337-batman-arkham-asylum/faqs/57661  Good luck!

[JJ-LoveBomb07]

My biggest tip is double tap X (run/evade). Combos and gadgets will get you massive points. I usually start combat with Batclaw, stun, batarang, and then punch and evade until you rack up a massive combo. GL

[locoporkko]

Easy peasy all combat rooms can i do with the close eyes,the combat rooms in arkham city are more difficult but in assylum are very easy.My advice is create your combo,do always the same movements and with practice you can do it 

Edited January 24, 2021 by locoporkko

[thalles_63]

I have to say: THAt WAS DIFFICULT. The combat system was a little odd for me, sometimes it doesn't responded that well and I took some punches into my face. I think that besides the tips from @Salfordladd the most important thing is TRY AGAIN AGAIN AND AGAIN. Unless you're a player god, you won't be able to get three bats in every challenge in the first few attempts. The key here is to memorize the concepts that have already been listed here and put them to practice, trying over and over again. Eventually you will become better at it and the trophy will be yours.

 

If I have one more tip is: if you're not succeding to improve your score after multiple tryes give it a rest, go eat something, go pet your dog, take a nap. When you return, you will be rested and things will be easier. I got three bats this way in four of the challenges.

Edited February 21, 2021 by thalles_63

[DrBloodmoney]

The trick that helped me master the combat in these games is this:

 

Don’t think of it as a fight.

 

It is not ‘combat’.

It is a dance!

 

Despite what you are looking at, you are playing a rhythm game, not an action game.

 

Don’t think about actually taking the guys down - that will happen naturally. Just think of every move as flowing to the next move, like a dance.

You will want to up your score with little ‘flourishes’ (special moves) but always think in terms of “can I get back into the rhythm after i do this move?” - if so, great. if not, don’t do it - wait for a different chance. 

[ArmoredSnowman]

Yeah, always had trouble with Asylum. With City, I was able to get all the combat challenges done for every character. Some rooms were harder than other (fuck the titans), but I managed to get a feel for each hero. With Asylum, the combat's not as smooth, and it can be frustrating with so many enemies. But thanks for all the tips in this thread, everyone!  

[IlFrankensteinlI]

These are complete BULLSH!T. I've watched videos on how to do these. I read what you guys say to do. BULLSH!T to do. Completely F'N IMPOSSIBLE.  Even the " Freeflow Perfection" is impossible. Never getting Plat on the game.

Edited December 5, 2021 by IlFrankensteinlI

[da-Noob123]

31 minutes ago, IlFrankensteinlI said:

These are complete BULLSH!T. I've watched videos on how to do these. I read what you guys say to do. BULLSH!T to do. Completely F'N IMPOSSIBLE

I feel ya. The challenge rooms in Arkham Asylum pushed me to and then beyond my limit. However I really liked the campaign so I moved onto Arkham City. Once I beat City's campaign I tried some of the combat challenges and got through the first 3 in quick succession. This boosted my morale to try Asylum's challenges again and this time around I beat them. Sure some took more attempts than others but I would typically get close to the 3 star score.

 

These rooms are going to push you, they were the hardest things I've done in a game in a long time. I feel doing the campaign in City really helped me learn the ins and outs of the combat flow like the back of my hand and after I reached that point I was finally ready for the challenge rooms. Now the campaign challenges in City are a different story, I could probably easily get the first two trophies but don't think I have the patience for the Campaign Gold trophy. The Extreme Predator maps are tough as nails. Arkham Knight is far more forgiving unless you go for 100%.

[mega-tallica]

Going through these now and they really aren't that bad. After reading some of the comments here, I was pretty intimidated going in but once you get the rhythm of what you need to be doing and maintaining your combos and utilizing all of Batman's moves to get the bonuses after each round, then it becomes very doable. Still fairly challenging but definitely not impossible or anything overwhelmingly difficult. 

 

The big thing is not to button mash and that's a habit that's hard to break if that's how you went through the campaign like I did. Your inputs need to be calculated, can't brute force these challenges otherwise you'll never get anywhere close to the score you need. 

 

My problem is once I break combo or get hit, I panic and then it's hard for me to get another combo going as my rhythm gets all thrown out of whack and I end up butchering the rest of the round. But that's happening less and less now after some practice. 

[authist90]

Currently have 19 of the 24 medals required for the trophy really close to getting sewerbat extreme and shock and awe the regular one I'm  gonna keep trying but it's just like that other guy said its a dance not a fight don't know how much patience I'm gonna have for rumble in the jungle extreme but hey its still  a good game though my humble advice would be focus on one map and learn the ins and outs of it anyway seeya and good luck honestly 

[Mr_Bandicoot93]

With Skill 

[Long-Ryde]

Lord I remember I did these when I was in middle school, but now I can't for the life of me get the three bats. It's so far shamefully taken me an hour.

 

I consistently have batman throwing rogue punches that break my combo in one instance and leaping across the arena to strike an opponent out of frame in the next so I feel like I never know what to expect despite knowing what I want to execute.

 

Try try try again is definitely the method.

 

My biggest pet peeve is when an enemy is right behind batman, so I press square, and instead of turning and doing a quick jab, he does a lil flip and gets punched. Sometimes he's like lightning, but other times he's much more rhythmic and flowy -- haven't been able to figure out how to harness that when I want.

[JM15-x]

Hey everybody, I am the original poster of this forum over 2 years ago and early this year I did return to arkham asylum to re-attempt the combat room and passed through them somewhat easily. 

 

My method/main tip to give is to hit an enemy and then double tap X to evade (preferably over the enemy you just striked) and then strike another enemy.

 

With enough practice of doing this you should be able to start implementing combat moves to up your score and effectively beat the combat rooms.

 

Keep in mind you won’t be able to pass each combat room first try there will be a lot of trial and error but with the tips I have talked about, it should be a much better experience.

 

Hopefully my advice can be of some help to a few of you, happy hunting!